A process for treating osier bark.



, E.PETZ.

PROCESS FOR TREATING OSIER BARK.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2h 19H.

LHHAM. Patented July 27, 1915.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, D. c,

llmTElU e TATlEYfi PATENT @FFFGE.

EDUARD PE'IZ, 0F ZELEGHOWITZ, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY, ASSIGNOR TO AUSTRIANFIRM: FILZKORKFABRIK GESELLSCI-IAFT MIT BESCI-IRANKTER HAFTUNG, 0FVIENNA,

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

A PROCESS FOR TREATING OSIER BARK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1915.

Application filed February 21, 1914. Serial No. 820,196.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDUARD Pn'rz, subject ofthe Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Zelechowitz, in Moravia,Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in aProcess for Treating Osier' Bark, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The present invention relates to the utilization of osier bark and theobject of the present invention is to provide a method of utilizing thebark of osiers whereby a spinnable fiber and also insulating materialsand a filling material for linoleum masses are obtained, in such amanner that it is possible to treat and prepare the whole of the bark orcortical material to produce substances of high value without any waste.The bark of one-year old osier willows in which the bast fibers arestill relatively tender is best suited for treatment in accordance withthe present invention. Thesebarks are stored in a moderately moist andwell aerated room.

The barks, which for the greater part retain their original moisture arefirst of all treated by steam supplied for two to three hours at apressure of 1 to 3 atmospheres. The bark is then pickled forapproximately 12 hours (over night) in an alkaline soap bath and it isthen passed through a Hollander machine for the purpose of separatingthe long fibers that have already been loosened from the outer bark;this machine consists of a cylinder covered with obtuse crushing membersfrom which the bark is drawn over a stone foundation 'in crushing andscraping it. The long spinningfibers are then separated from the shortfiber material. From the latter the finer constituents are separated bysifting and these are ground to powder and utilized in substitution ofcork flour while the coarse fibrous material is pressed into insulatingplates or which may be quilted to form felt like plates or the like. Thelong fibers are still somewhat brittle as they leave the H01- landermachine and for the purpose of obtaining a soft touch they are treatedfor approximately half an hour with steam at 3 to 4: atmospheressaturated with glycerin, whereupon they are dried by means of hot air.By means of these operations a very high-grade, firm, pliable spinningfiber is obtalined which is similar in touch to sheeps woo v Theaccompanying drawings illustrate an installation for carrying theprocess accordmg to the present invention into practice in a continuousoperation; the material is supplied to this installation by means of astream of water which carries it through the various mechanisms incorrespondence with the order of the operations to be effected. For thesake of compactness in their representation, the several mechanisms areshown arranged in series while in reality they are arranged in tiers.

Figure 1, is a side elevation of parts of the device partly in section.Fig. 2 illustrates a detail drawn to a larger scale.

In carrying the invention into effect as illustrated the bark is placedin receptacles a,two or more of which can be arranged side by side;water is admitted to those receptacles from a reservoir 0 at a higherlevel, which is constantly supplied through a pump pipe m, the branchpipe at being suitably adjusted for supplying the several receptacles.The latter are then closed, the cock Z of the steam pipe opened and thebark material is treated with steam at a pressure of 2 atmospheres forfrom 1 to 3 hours. When the supply of steam is cut oil cooling toapproximately 50 C. is effected and soap and soda are introduced intothe receptacles a in such quantities that a bath of approximately 3% ofsoap and 1% of soda is obtained and the bark material is pickled in thisbath at the temperature indicated for about 12 hours. By: means of thesetwo operations of steaming and pickling the pliability of the finer bastfibers is increased without injuring them, the outer layer of barkis toa great extent detached,

'th'etannin leached out and the bark as a whole is prepared for thecrushing process.

After discharging the pickling bath (through y) the slide 6 of thereceptacle a is drawn up and the material flows gradually out of thereceptacle a when the cook a is slightly opened; the material descendsin a chute h to the Hollander trough 9 between two fluted cylinders towhich are loosely in mesh and serve to give the material a preliminarycrushing and convey it to the H01- lander cylinder proper 14 whoseobtuse knives draw the material over a foundation 4) of roughened sandstone. As at the same time the material still retained by the flutedcylinders w it experiences a vigorous crushing and scraping on thefoundation 1; while the reservoir another conduit j leads into theHollander trough and serves to supply a larger quantity of water whenrequired.

At the end of the Hollander trough a rockable'rake ris arrangedandserves to retain the long spinningfibers, while the shortfibrousmateria'l collects with the bark dust in the chamber i. As soonas a suitable quantity of bark has passed through the Hollander machine,the short material is carried by the water into the mixer 0, when thebottom valve is is lifted, while the long fibers are lifted out by meansof the rake 1". These fibers are now placed in a steam-tight steamchest, steamed for about half an hour with steam at from 3 to 4atmospheres saturated with glycerin and finally dried by means of hotair.

The waste material is discharged from the mixer c by opening the cock1-, into a trough d divided by a sieve a; the dust collects in the lowercompartment of this trough andis discharged therefrom with Water andseparated by filtration. The dust is then dried and ground and in thiscondition constitutesan advantageous substitute for cork flour,particularly as a filling material for linoleum masses.

The fibrous material is lifted out of the upper part of the reservoir 03by means of scoop or dipper gear. The arms 6 of this gear carry at theirend sieve plates 6 upon which the dipper frames Z are detachably mountedin the manner indicated in Fig. 2. During immersion the dipper framesfill with fibrousmaterial and as soon as they reach the horizontalposition they are removed from the sieve-plates and are directly broughtinto the press 10 in which the material is pressed. The frameand thebriquet or 1 block are then displaced laterally over the opening 9 inthe press table and the Copies of this patent may he obtained for blockis knocked through this opening. The empty frame is then again insertedin the dipper gear. Preferably a plurality of presses p areappropriately grouped around the tank d. The briquets are then eitherdried directly and can be used in this form for insulating purposes andthe like, for which they are eminently suited owing to their high heatinsulating capacity in conjunction With low specific weight; they canalso be quilted into felt like plates.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be .performed, I declarethat what I claim is:

'1. A process for simultaneously obtaining spinning fibers, insulatingmaterial and cork flour, 'from the bark of osiers in which the bark isfirst steamed at a slight excess of pressure and then pickled in analkali soap bath, then drawn in a wet state under pressure in order toseparate the long fibers from the outer bark, then subjecting thematerial to a crushing and scraping treatment, the outer bark is thenremoved and the long fibers are treated with steam saturated withglycerin and finally dried by means of hot air.

2. A process for simultaneously obtaining spinning fibers, insulatingmaterial and cork flour from the bark of osiers, in which the bark isfirst steamed at a slight excess of pressure and then pickled in a bathof approximately 3% of soap and 1% of soda,

then drawn in a wet state under pressure in order to separate the longfibers from the outer bark, then subjected to a crushing and scrapingtreatment, the outer bark material is then removed and the long fibersare treated with steam at from 3 to 4 atmospheres and saturated withglycerin, and finally dried by means of hot air.

In'testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

EDUARD PETZ.

Witnesses FRANZ BERZEAR, AUGUsT Fuecnn.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington,D. G.

